2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
To repent is to change your mind, heart, and action. It is to recognize that you are in sin, turn away from it and self and turn to God and his ways. To confess is to acknowledge your fault and shortcoming. Just because one confesses does not mean that they have repented. As believers, we sometimes confess our sins, but we do not have a change of heart and mind about the issue, we go and still do the same thing over and over again.
Before we can experience revival, God is calling us not just to confess our sins, but to repent as well. We must make a change, otherwise our confession is not genuine.
One of the characters that experienced true repentance in the bible is Zacchaeus.
After Jesus goes to his house to have a meal with him, the man is so convicted, and he changes his ways. He says that he will give half of his possessions to the poor and that if he had stolen anything from anyone, then he would repay four times. Jesus never asked him to do this, the man had a change of mind and heart and that led to this action. His actions were in line with what God expects us to do, share what we have with the poor.
How we live our life is a reflection of our faith. De we really believe what we say about God? Remember, God is talking to his people. The verse says If my people who are called by my name……. God is not talking to people who do not know him nor acknowledge him. Reminds me of what Jesus said; “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and yet, you do not what I say?”
If we have any wickedness is us, may we turn away from it and walk in obedience to the Lord, only then will he hear us from heaven, forgive our sins and come heal our land.
